THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL STATUS AND SELF-ESTEEM OF

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE OF PHILIPPINE CENTRAL ISLAND

COLLEGE

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

PRACTICAL RESEARCH II

Submitted by:

Hachero, Marrianne Shane C.

Almonia, Charity I.
Guarin, Jasmine D.
Erasmo, Ereca Mica S.
Macassadu, Jefferson I.
Dela Fuente, Lykkah S.
Pastrana,Dion EriC
Aguirre, Rovilyn B
Filamo,Jy
Berayo, Janssen S.

May 2023
 CHAPTER I

Introduction

Social status is the perceived or actual standing of an individual relative to others on a

dimension of social relevance. Self-esteem is a person’s global evaluation of their worth

and competence. Researchers found that people with higher social status are better self-

esteem and lower levels of shame depressions, and anxiety.

Social statistics are the perceived or actual standing of an individual relative to others on

a dimension of social relevance (e.g., traits, economic standing, abilities). The entry

examines the relationship between the two constructs. In human societies (Fiske 2010),

social status is important and consequential for individuals. Broadly defined, social status

is an individual’s perceived or actual standing in relation to others on a social relevance

dimension that includes, but is not limited to traits (e.g. competence, warmth), resource

attainment (e.g. occupation, leadership positions), performance and abilities physical

attributes behavior (e.g. exercise, frequency, volunteer hours in the community), and

conically achieving high social standing N.E Adler and D. Rehkopt (2008), US health

disparities: Description, causes, and mechanism annual review of public health.

Self-esteem has well-known consequences not only on current physical and mental

health and health-related behavior, but also on future health and health-related behavior

during adulthood. In addition, to be able to change the consequences of self-esteem on

future health and health-related behavior, it is important to be aware of possible correlates

and associations of low or high self-esteem which are crucial during the developmental

stage of adolescence.

An influential factor in both physical and mental health. Findings reveal that an

association exists between low social status and lower self-esteem. This association

changed after adjustment for personality and mental health, but not after additional

adjustment for social support. Family affluence as an indicator for social status remained

significantly associated with self-esteem from the first to the final model, but its

explanatory power decreased after adding personality dimensions and mental health

variables (depression/anxiety and social dysfunction). At the same time, family affluence

itself explained only 6% of the variance in self-esteem. This indicates the existence of

other influential factors contributing to the association between social status and self-

esteem and could be explained by the mediating role of the personality dimension of

emotional stability and even more so by the mental health subscale of depression and

anxiety. Also, previous studies on the mediating processes between social status,

personality and self-esteem, family processes indicate such a possibility. The associations

of personality and mental health with global self-esteem were moderated by socio-

economic status, as measured by family affluence. No moderating effect of socio-

economic status was found on the association between personality and self-esteem or

mental health. The lower social status is an indicator of lower feelings of self-worth

among adolescents, but at the same time such a connection is mediated by young

people’s personality and mental health. (OXFORD ACADEMIC 2009)

The importance and role of the study is to know the relationship between social status

and self-esteem of grade 12 HUMSS students at PCIC. The students will benefit from
this research by knowing the two relationships. This study is interesting because it can

help students to understand the relationship between their social status and their self-

esteem.

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to the relationship between social status and self-esteem of Grade 12

HUMSS students of PCIC, specifically this study answered the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Education

b. Parents Occupation

c. Accomplishment

2. What is the level of self-esteem of the respondent?

3. Is there a significant relationship between the demographic profile of the

respondents?
 Objectives of the Study

In this study, finding out what is contained herein in the social status and self-esteem

of SHS students. Study to understand what could be the solutions to the problems in the

relationship and outcome of this topic.

Our purposes for this study:

1. Determine the significant of relationship between social status and self-esteem of

grade 12 HUMSS students of PCIC.

2. To provide a good information about the relationship between social status and

self-esteem.

Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between social status and self-esteem of Grade

12 Humanities and Social Science of Philippine Central Island College.

Significance of the Study

The findings which study revealed benefit certain groups and the advantage they

may be able to gain as follows:

Students. This study could provide students information about the knowledge of the

relationship between social status and self-esteem of grade 12 HUMSS of PCIC, it could

help the students to find the different factors that affect the relationship between social

status and self-esteem.

Parents. This study will help the parents to know if there have relationship between

social status and self-esteem of their children in HUMSS 12 of PCIC and help their

children to build self-esteem.

School. This study will benefit the school in knowing the relationship between social

status and self-esteem of their student in HUMSS and by this research they can help the

other student to build their self-esteem.

Future Researcher. This study will be their source of information and guide to their

topic. They can use our study as reference for their research.
Scope and Limitations of the Study

This research will study the relationship between social status and self-esteem of

Humanities and Social Science of Philippine Central Island College. Recent studies and

theories will be use in this research and it would be focused only to the relationship of

social status and self-esteem. This research will come out through questionnaire survey

that created by the researcher. The research study was performed on grade 12 HUMSS of

PCIC. This study limits its coverage in Grade students HUMSS strand of PCIC only. The

main purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between social status and self-

esteem of the Grade 12 students of HUMSS strand in PCIC to identify common problems

encounters by the students and to propose solutions regarding the problems encounter. 40

out of 100 students of HUMSS Grade 12 were used as a sample in conducting the survey.

This study limits its coverage in Grade 12 students HUMSS strand of PCIC only which is

to identify the common problems encounters by the students and to propose solutions

regarding the problems they encounter in terms of motivation, mental health, and general

quality of life can all be affected by sense of self- worth. However, self-esteem that is

either excessively high or excessively low might cause issues and can find the perfect

balance for, by having a better grasp of their individual level of self-esteem and can

navigate life knowing that they can do what they set their mind to, having good sense of

self- worth can inspire them to achieve their goals. Furthermore, they can establish

appropriate boundaries in partnership and sustain a good relationship with both their self

and other people when they have a strong sense of self-worth. The main purpose of this
study is to identify the relationship between social status and self-esteem of the grade 12

students of HUMSS strand in PCIC.

Theoretical Framework

Recent theories place a strong emphasis on how status and self-esteem are related. In

specifically, according to the hierometer theory, self-esteem is a component of an evolved

psychological system that enables people to navigate status hierarchies in an appropriate

way. Self-esteem is thought to help people keep track of their standing in social status

hierarchies and motivate the kind of social activity that would advance that status.

According to the hierometer idea, self-esteem functions as a hierometer by tracking

status; higher status ought to be associated with higher self-esteem, while lower status

ought to be associated with lower self-esteem. (Sedikides 2021)

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally for a better understanding of the study.

Social Status. The relative rank that an individual holds with attendant rights, duties and

lifestyle in a social hierarchy based upon honor or prestige.

Self-Esteem. Confidence in one’s own worth or abilities

HUMSS. Humanities and Social Science stands equip students with a wide range of

discipline with the use of their experiences and skills into the investigation and inquiry of

human situation.

Education. The process of teaching or learning in a school, or the knowledge that you
get from this
Occupation. A job or a profession

Accomplishment. Something that has been achieved successfully

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Demographic profile of the

respondents in terms of:

a. Education
Self-esteem
b. Parents

Occupation

c. Accomplishment
 CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

 This chapter presents a review of related literature and studies both local and foreign

which prove to be significantly related and serve as a very valuable references and

resources in the conduct of the study

        Socioeconomic Status from before we’re even born, we have a designated status

level in society. Socioeconomic status (SES) refers to the social and financial level of

individuals in society. Socioeconomic status from before birth and through your early

years of life is based on your parents, since they are the ones financially responsible for

you and your early development. (Baron 2022)

Parents' socioeconomic status will determine many things about your early development:

how you view the world; what, how much, and how often you eat; the type of early

childhood education; your overall health; or how others view you. It also impacts your

later success or failure in life. Arguably, a lot of the course of our lives is set by what

happens between the ages of two through five when we’re discovering and understanding

our world. (Baron ,2022)

Socio-economic status (SES) is a term used by sociologists, economists, and other social

scientists to describe the class standing of an individual or group. It is measured by

several factors, including income, occupation, and education, and it can have either a

positive or negative impact on a person’s life.

(Ugto et.al 2022)

Education is universally recognized as the answer to socio- economic problems of the

world. Responsible for the development of children holistically, has been a great value

and acknowledgment all over the world, and it is regarded as a pillar of all national

growth and development. A child’s progress should not only be visible on the traditional

academic milestones of intellect, but rather it should also be evident in different aspects

of life such as physical, emotional, and psychological (Mahaguay 2020, Sullano et al.

2020).

These aspects are emphasized in school where students are engaged in different learning

activities that would lead to holistic development, and all these aspects are also

influenced by self-esteem. It is how we think and feel about ourselves. It refers to how we

reflect on our appearances, abilities, relationships with others, and our aspirations for the

future. Personal safety covers many aspects of a growing individual. It is guarding

him/her against physical abuse, emotional disturbance, and even social discrimination.

All these aspects are emphasized in school where students are engaged in different

learning. Activities that would lead to holistic development. These aspects are also

influenced by self-esteem, which is explained as an individual’s feeling about himself

and how much he/she likes himself. It is believed that having healthy self-esteem has

many positive effects and Benefits, especially among students. Students who feel positive

about themselves have fewer sleepless nights, succumb less easily to pressures of

conformity by peers, and are most likely to perform better academically. In schools

nowadays, teachers have so many observations regarding students’ personality and

academic performance. Yes, there are numbers of students who received awards and were

recognized as honors, yet there are still a big number of students who cannot even

perform better because of less self-confidence. (Mundo ,2021)

Additionally, the impact of economic status in children is among the most

debated issues in human rights. Economics is defined as the science concerned with

fighting poverty, the science governing wealth that is the study of the production,

distribution, and consumption of wealth, the study of human well-being, and the science

of using scarce resources. In other words, economics is the science of the behavior of

goods and services. All the main elements of economics are somehow gathered in the

commodity, and the process of commodity production, distribution, and consumption are

among the topics discussed in economics. The way children learn economic behavior in

childhood is among the important factors affecting their economic behavior in adulthood.

Family is the primary institution for individuals’ attitude formation and learning, and

later these teachings are strengthened, reproduced, and evolved. There is a direct

relationship between children’s knowledge of money and the extent to which they have

experience with it as well as between parents’ attitudes toward money and their spending

habits. Children’s awareness of money and economic issues is formed, developed, and

consolidated during the process of socialization. Therefore, educating children and

familiarizing them with economic behaviors seem to be necessary to enable them to

manage money responsibly and use it in the right way. Obviously, there is a direct

relationship between the economic status of the family and the health level of individuals,

because, first, the ease of access to health care services increases with the improvement

of the family’s economic status. Second, the economy both directly and indirectly affects
the social components of health. Socioeconomic factors have been considered to be more

than 50% effective in children’s health. However, some studies have reported the role of

social factors up to 70%.] Parents play an important role in children’s health, and various

physical and environmental factors, beliefs, socioeconomic status (SES) of households,

etc., are among the factors affecting it. Some believe that parents’ level of education as a

socioeconomic factor is a more stable criterion than economic variables such as income,

because household income changes from year to year and is not stable, and some

maintain that education is the main factor affecting children’s health, because parents

with high level of education have enough information about children’s health and

nutrition, so they provide healthier food and environment and have healthier children.

Moreover, the parents with higher education usually have better health status and then

provide the necessary conditions for better health status of their children.  “Parental

employment” is another factor affecting children’s health. The effect of maternal

employment on children’s health is theoretically very vague. There are some

contradictory hypotheses. One of the simplest mechanisms is that maternal employment

has a positive effect on children’s health, as it is associated with an increase in household

income and ultimately leads to increased household spending on the health of family

members. However, the physical presence of mothers at home makes it possible for them

to spend more time with their children and care more about them, which affects

children’s mental health. Providing nutritious meals, a clean and healthy home

environment, and the absence of anxiety caused by the work environment and its

transmission to children lead to the hypothesis that maternal employment has a negative

impact on children’s health. Another assumption is that mothers’ involvement in the

labor market may be associated with their education, skills, preferences, and abilities

which provide greater potential for raising healthy children. By reviewing the literature,

this study aims to identify socio economic mechanisms affecting children’s health.

(Baharvard et.al 2021)

Psychosocial resources may serve as an important link to explain socioeconomic

differences in health. Earlier studies have demonstrated that education, income and

occupational status cannot be used interchangeably as indicators of a hypothetical latent

social dimension. In the same manner, it is important to disentangle the effect of

measuring different constructs of psychosocial resources. The aim of this study was

therefore to analyses if associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and

psychosocial resources differ depending on the measures used. A cross-sectional

population-based study of a random sample (n = 1007) of middle-aged individuals (45–

69 years old, 50% women) in Sweden was performed using questionnaire and register

data. SES was measured as education, occupation, household income and self-rated

economy. Psychosocial resources were measured as social integration, social support,

mastery, self-esteem, sense of coherence (SOC) and trust. Logistic regression models

were applied to analyses the relationships controlling for the effects of possible

confounders. The measures of SES were low or moderately correlated to each other as

were the measures of psychosocial resources. After controlling for age, sex, country of

birth and employment status, household income and self-rated economy were associated

with all six psychosocial resources; occupation was associated with three (social

integration, self-esteem and trust) and education with two (social integration and self-

esteem). Social integration and self-esteem showed a significant and graded relationship
with all SES measures; trust was associated with all SES measures except education,

whereas SOC and mastery were only associated with household income and self-rated

economy. After controlling for other SES measures, no associations with psychosocial

resources remained for education or occupation. In conclusion, associations between SES

and psychosocial resources did differ depending on the measures used. The findings

illustrate the importance of the choice of measure when investigating SES as well as

psychosocial resources. (Festin et.al 2017)

The evidence supports the following three conclusions. First, self-esteem increases from

adolescence to middle adulthood, peaks at about age 50 to 60 years, and then decreases at

an accelerating pace into old age; moreover, there are no cohort differences in the self-

esteem trajectory from adolescence to old age. Second, self-esteem is a relatively stable,

but by no means immutable, trait; individuals with relatively high (or low) self-esteem at

one stage of life are likely to have relatively high (or low) self-esteem decades later.

Third, high self-esteem prospectively predicts success and well-being in life domains

such as relationships, work, and health. Given the increasing evidence that self-esteem

has important real-world consequences, the topic of self-esteem development is of

considerable societal significance. (Orch & Robins 2014)

The current study investigated the moderating effects of self-esteem and marital status on

the association between partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction. Four hundred and

twenty-nine Chinese adults completed the measures of partner phubbing, relationship

satisfaction, self-esteem, and marital status. The findings revealed that partner phubbing

was not significantly associated with relationship satisfaction. However, self-esteem

moderated the association between partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction. More
specifically, for high self-esteem adults, partner phubbing was significantly associated

with relationship satisfaction. In contrast, for adults with low levels of self-esteem, this

association became nonsignificant. The association between partner phubbing and

relationship satisfaction was also moderated by marital status, which showed that the

significant relation between partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction only existed

among married adults. (Lei et.al 2021)

Scholars have long considered peer relationships to be among the most important

characteristics of adolescence. The transition from childhood to adolescence leads to

changes in an individual’s social environment and social norms, making peer

relationships more prominent during this developmental period. According to group

socialization theory, peers have greater influence on adolescent development than

parents. Adolescents may spend more time with their peers, while adult supervision tends

to be reduced, and they place more value on peer expectations and opinions.

Peer relationships are interpersonal relationships established and developed through the

process of communication between individuals at similar levels of psychological

development. Perceiving good peer relationships can help adolescents gain a sense of

belonging within their peer group, and are critical to the positive development of their

cognitive and social skills, as well as academic adaptation. In contrast, perceiving

negative peer relationships make it difficult for adolescents to control their emotions,

which may even lead to psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and other

mental disorders. It is therefore necessary to explore the factors that influence peer

relationships.
Although peer relationships are an important part of adolescent development, not all

adolescents have the ability to build beneficial peer relationships. Some research has

indicated that family socioeconomic status (FSES) plays a role in peer relationships and

its influence cannot be ignored. For example, a study of teenagers in 35 countries

demonstrated that boys and girls from a lower-socioeconomic status group had fewer

close friends and poorer peer relationships. Furthermore, adolescents with low FSES are

often considered by their peers to have low ability and social status, which, in turn, leads

them to experience exclusion thereby increasing their risk of developing adverse peer

relationships.

These previous studies indicated that FSES may be an important factor affecting peer

relationships; however, there are two categories of FSES: one measured objectively by

income and other observable factors, and the other measured subjectively by individuals’

self-reported relative status among peers. Compared with objective measures, subjective

FSES reflects a cognitive assessment of a person’s relative social status and captures its

subtle aspects more effectively. A meta-analysis including 142,836 participants from 38

independent studies found that subjective SES was more significantly associated with

physical and mental health. Therefore, we focused on subjective FSES to explore its

association with peer relationships among Chinese adolescents.

It Is well-known that personal development must be understood through the interplay of

environment and individual characteristics, such as Bronfenbrenner’s bio ecological

model of development and family systems theory. Family provides the earliest

environment for children’s socialization and plays a fundamental role in child

psychology. It not only directly influences an adolescent’s internalized and externalized

behavior problems, but also indirectly influences behavior problems through the

individual’s ego system. Self-esteem is one of the core components of the ego system,

which is not only affected by family factors, but also affects the emotional health of

adolescents. Studies have found that children who face financial difficulties at home

during adolescence have lower self-esteem, higher levels of distress, more social and

emotional problems, and are more sensitive and negative in their relationships with

others. In addition to the effect of family environment on self-esteem, levels of perceived

stress have also been shown to vary widely among families. The Family Stress Model

(FSM) suggests that economic stress can continue to affect adolescent development by

influencing parents’ negative emotions Adolescents with financial difficulties are more

likely to be exposed to negative family relationships and to be more sensitive to future

stressors, putting them at greater risk of negative emotions and developmental outcomes,

as well as problems such as hostility and maladjustment. Consequently, in the present

study we also explored the underlying mechanism in the relationship between subjective

FSES and peer relationships from the perspective of psychological characteristics (i.e.,

self-esteem) and cognitive evaluation of one’s external environment [i.e., perceived

stress.

Self-esteem was once considered the most important personality variable for

understanding human behavior, and while this may overstate its role, there is little doubt

that self-esteem has a vital impact on individuals’ internal (thoughts) and external

(behaviors) world. Self-esteem is relatively stable, and represents an individual’s overall

feelings of self-competence. According to the lifelong concept of self-esteem,

socioeconomic status has a long and important influence on the development of

individual self-esteem. Research has shown that adolescents from higher socioeconomic

groups tend to have higher self-esteem. For example, Yan, Yang found that subjective

FSES predicted life satisfaction and that self-esteem mediated this relationship (i.e.,

adolescents with higher subjective FSES tended to have greater self-esteem, leading to

high life satisfaction).

Moreover, self-esteem has been considered to be an internal process and verified as an

independent factor that affects various types of interpersonal relationships. High self-

esteem can help increase the likelihood that adolescents will be accepted by others and

buffer the frustration of receiving negative feedback when interacting with others. It

allows people to adjust their reaction to others according to the degree to which they are

accepted or rejected by others, and motivates them to respond to others in appropriate

ways. In general, individuals with high self-esteem exhibit more relationship-

strengthening behaviors, while individuals with low self-esteem are more sensitive to

rejection, tend to withdraw and reduce interpersonal intimacy after interpersonal conflict,

and exhibit more relationship-damaging behaviors. However, although research has

demonstrated that subjective FSES can affect self-esteem, and self-esteem can be an

important predictor of the quality of peer relationships, no study to date has directly

explored whether self-esteem plays a mediating effect between subjective FSES and peer

relationships. Therefore, one purpose of our study was to explore self-esteem’s effect in

this association.

In addition to individual psychological characteristics, such as self-esteem, cognitive

evaluations of one’s external environment, such as perceived stress, may also underlie the

influence of subjective FSES on peer relationships. Perceived stress is defined as the

degree to which people feel that their lives are uncontrollable, unpredictable, or

unbearable, and is a cognitive assessment of the severity of the stressor and one’s own

ability; thus, it is a measure of how much stress people have in their lives. In some

research, assessments of perceived stress have been considered more reliable than

assessments of stressful life events.

Studies have shown that subjective FSES was significantly associated with perceived

stress, and adolescents with lower subjective FSES tended to have higher perceived

stress. Further, perceived stress was also an important predictor of the quality of

interpersonal relationships, people with higher perceived stress had lower quality

relationships. Previous research conducted in the United States has shown that lower

FSES led to more stress and, in turn, lower peer acceptance in children. However, Dish

ion’s study only investigated boys and was correlational, while we focused on both

genders and added a mediating effect analysis for a more complete understanding.

In summary, some previous studies demonstrated an association between FSES and peer

relationships, but few were focused on subjective FSES, and the mechanism of this

relationship is still unclear. Thus, to improve our understanding of peer relationships and

provide theoretical support for adolescent mental health development, it is important to

confirm the potential mechanism.

Therefore, this study explored the association between subjective FSES and peer

relationships, and the independent mediating or moderating effect roles of self-esteem

and perceived stress. Additionally, some studies have indicated that perceived stress

affects adolescents’ self-esteem. For example, after experiencing high levels of stress,

individuals with low self-esteem showed more negative emotions and maladaptive
behaviors than individuals with high self-esteem. Self-esteem will be threatened when we

feel the stressor is uncontrollable or disturbing. In other words, high levels of perceived

stress can lead to low levels of self-esteem. Therefore, we also investigated the serial

mediating effect of perceived stress on self-esteem. The serial mediating effect refers to

the existence of multiple mediating variables in the mediating model that form a chain;

that is, there is mutual influence among the mediating variables. Referring to previous

studies, we believed that perceived stress would have an impact on self-esteem. (Bai et.al

2020)

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research methodology which includes research design, research

site/respondents of the study, data collection, research instrument, and data analysis.

Research Design

This study used the correlational research design. It is correlational because it will

determine the relationship between social status and self-esteem of Humanities and

Social Science of Philippine Central Island College.

Research Site/Respondents of the Study

This research was conducted in Philippine Central Island College at Bagong Silang,

San Jose Occidental Mindoro.

Figure 1 The

picture above shows the location of Philippine Central Island College at Bagong Silang
San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

(https://www.google.com/maps/place/Philippine+Central+Islands+College/

@12.3601232,121.0561112,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!

1s0x33bb033dc3f6d2cb:0x80591292ade492f8!8m2!3d12.3601232!4d121.0586861!16s

%2Fg%2F12hrzj4sv

The aimed respondents for this study will be the senior high school student of Philippine

Central Island College Humanities and Social Science Academic year 2022-2023.The

researcher selected 40 students of grade 12 HUMSS section A. Simple random sampling

was used to determine the respondents of the study.

Data Collection

The researcher used quantitative data to determine the relationship between social

status and self-esteem of Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS) of Philippine Central

Island College (PCIC). These were done through survey questionnaire using hard copy

after the approval of the research teacher and adviser. The instructions are clearly stated

within the questionnaire. The researchers prepared questionnaire employing in Hard

copy. In order for the respondents to access the questionnaire, the researcher will give the

questionnaire and assist them how to answer it. The answer of the respondent will be

stored safely and protected of the researcher.

Research Instrument

The main tool of this study in gathering needed data was a questionnaire.

The researcher utilized a questionnaire consisting two parts: personal data and

Rosenberg’s Self- Esteem Scale. The Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale comprised of ten

items, which measured global self- worth by considering both positive and negative

feelings about the self. The statement in this scale were answered a 4-point Likert scale,

which ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree.

Data Analysis

The data collected were organized and presented in tabular form for simple

interpretation. Correlational was used to examine the relationship between social status

and self-esteem of grade 12 Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS) of Philippine

Central Island College, correlation was used to find out if there is a linear relationship

found between those two variables. This research also used descriptive statistic such as

the computation of the mean was employed in determining the relationship between

social status and self-esteem. Moreover, multiple linear regression was used to determine

the relationship between the social status and self-esteem Humanities and Social Science

(HUMSS).